Bethlehem Brew Works

by Dan Raposo


BBW Pumpkin Ale
BBW Fegley's E.S.B.
BBW Steelgaarden Wit



It seems that every family has their lackey. The person that gets stuck driving the others to and from the airport, gets the last minute groceries on holidays, you get the idea. Well in my family, I'm that guy. It's not so much because I'm a pushover, but mainly because I don't mind doing the errands nobody else wants to do, especially when they involve long drives and new places. Lucky for me, one of these such excursions led me to Bethlehem Brew Works in Bethlehem, PA.

A friend of my family's, who happens to be a priest, flew up from Florida to visit an old friend at his first parish in Bethlehem. My dad was supposed to drive him the 2.5 hours from CT to PA that Saturday morning, but the chauffeur duties inevitably fell to me (and of course my visiting girlfriend) We got there just after 10am, and after a short visit to the Church, my girlfriend and I took off to let the priests catch up. Fulfilling my need to explore, we drove around the town for a while until I saw Bethlehem Brew Works, shining like the Star of Bethlehem leading me to a refreshing beer experience. Sorry for the Jesus talk, but with the priests and Bethlehem, I had to work that in somewhere. Don't worry, it'll be the last bad reference to the Christmas story I make. And so, without further ado, the three gifts from the wise men of Bethlehem Brew Works. (I lied)

When I order a seasonal brew like a Pumpkin or a Holiday Winter, I want distinct and robust flavors of whatever is supposed to set the beer apart. So when I ordered the Pumpkin Ale I was hoping for something hearty, full of the flavors that make the fall season, pumpkin, cinnamon, something!!! What I got was a dweeb of an Ale with a hint of pumpkin. No spices, no robust flavors, nothing. If they were trying to create a lighter ale using pumpkins, something you could drink all night, they succeeded. But I'm not buying it, it was weak, light, and simple. My girlfriend loved the hint of pumpkin though, so I let her finish it.

After the Pumpkin Ale I decided to step it up a bit to protect my manhood, so I ordered the Fegley's ESB. The ESB gave me hope for BBW and did so by kicking my ass. The ESB is a British style amber, but not pale skinned, bad toothed type British, more like a British pit bull, with rabies. When you first taste this red amber ale, the sweet but complex malts caress and tickle the taste buds, then the succulent hop variety sucks the sweetness right out, leaving you dazed and confused, like you were just hit by a baldheaded British rugby thug, and then woken up by his hot sister. Overall, a highly enjoyable beer.

After the ESB I thought I would chill out a bit with the pubs most popular beer, the Steelgaarden Wit. I thought I was getting a relaxing Belgian wheat, but what I got was a complex and spicier version of this very traditional style. When poured, it looked just like an unfiltered wheat, hazy and golden in color but then when tasted, the chamomile and coriander took the beer to a new level, giving a typically simple style a fuller and much deeper taste.

Bethlehem Brew Works also had an interesting variety of fruit infused beers, which my girlfriend tried and I avoided after the first sip. Then after a few beers and some hot wings I got a call from the church and quickly remembered.... I had to drive the priest back home.


The Bethlehem Brew Works Website